No, the specific claim as stated is not true (or at least not supported by evidence). It appears to be a distorted or apocryphal retelling that mixes elements of a real 2021 exchange about world hunger with Musk’s later public criticism of homelessness NGOs and incentives.
What actually happened on a related topic
In late October 2021, World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley publicly noted that roughly $6 billion could help 42 million people on the brink of starvation. Musk replied on X (then Twitter) that if the WFP could describe exactly how $6B would solve world hunger (with open-source accounting so the public could see precisely how the money was spent), he would sell Tesla stock and do it.
Beasley responded that $6B would not fully “solve” world hunger but would prevent instability/mass migration and save those 42 million people; he affirmed transparency systems existed, offered to meet, and later the WFP published a detailed ~$6.6B plan (food procurement/delivery, cash/vouchers, program management, etc.). Musk did not donate the $6B to the WFP (he made large Tesla-share donations around that period that went elsewhere, including reportedly to his own foundation in some cases). There was no “they said never mind” or rejection of oversight; the WFP engaged and provided details.
This was about global hunger/starvation risk, not domestic U.S. homelessness.
Homelessness-related comments from Musk
Musk has repeatedly criticized what he calls the “homeless industrial complex” or NGOs paid in ways that (in his view) create incentives to maintain or increase the number of people counted as homeless rather than solve root issues (severe addiction, mental illness). He has described much street homelessness as involving “violent drug zombies” or similar, argued the term “homeless” is often propaganda/misleading, and pointed to large California spending coinciding with rising numbers.
No credible reports match the exact sequence in the statement: critics naming a specific sum for feeding the U.S. homeless → Musk offering an immediate check only if he personally oversees distribution → the critics then saying “never mind.” Viral claims of large Musk donations specifically for homeless shelters or housing have often been debunked as false or unverified.
Bottom line
People (including from the political left) have long criticized billionaires’ wealth relative to social problems like homelessness or hunger and suggested they should give more. Musk has conditioned large potential gifts on transparency/accountability and has argued that many existing homelessness programs have perverse incentives. The particular story as phrased—leftists naming a number for the homeless, Musk offering to write the check under his oversight, and them declining—does not appear to be a documented event. It more closely resembles a politicized paraphrase or conflation of the 2021 WFP exchange with Musk’s broader critiques.